Applying error management theory to understand the evolution of decision-making in plant defense

应用错误管理理论来理解植物防御决策的演变

• 批准号: 2112586
• 负责人: John Tooker
• 金额: $ 120万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-11-01 至 2025-10-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2112586&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Applying; error; management; theory; understand

Despite their reputation for passivity, plants, like animals, have evolved a remarkable capacity to perceive and respond to information about threats in their environment. Unlike animals, however, it is unknown how plants prioritize different information and assess risk to 'make decisions' about how to respond. This research project will use error management theory to evaluate how tall goldenrod plants (Solidago altissima) assess threats of herbivory from cues that they receive from the environment. It is already known that tall goldenrod can perceive and respond to two different airborne cues to initiate defenses before herbivores arrive: (1) a mate-attracting chemical (pheromone) from a key damaging herbivore species and (2) volatile chemicals released from neighboring tall goldenrod plants that are being attacked by generalist insects. Greenhouse and field experiments will be conducted to determine cue thresholds, what genes are triggered by different cues, and the costs and benefits of responding when cues are matched versus mismatched with the type of damage received. Ultimately the cost of making an error in not responding will be measured by reduced reproductive output due to herbivore damage. The results will reveal whether tall goldenrod takes a bet-hedging approach and allocates defenses to minimize costly errors in favor of less costly errors. By exploring plant defenses from this novel perspective, this research will significantly broaden our understanding of how plants make decisions and provide insight on the evolution of plant defenses against herbivores. Interactions between plants and herbivores are the backbone of terrestrial ecosystems, so understanding how plants 'decide' to defend themselves has applications from crop protection to control of invasive species. The project will support training and mentorship of students and a postdoctoral researcher, as well as public outreach initiatives through established programs at The Pennsylvania State University.Solidago altissima is among the few plant species known to detect and alter its defenses in response to two volatile chemical cues: one from neighboring plants, one from the mating activity of a key, specialist herbivore. Greenhouse and field experiments will test error management theory to elucidate costs and benefits of the defensive strategies of genotypes of S. altissima following exposure to cues that are matched and mismatched with key herbivore damage. Subsequent phytohormone and transcriptomic analyses of plant tissue from these experiments will identify key mechanisms underlying defense responses of the genotypes following exposure to cues and insect damage. Under the various experimental scenarios, the effectiveness of defense responses of the genotypes against herbivores will reveal evolutionary selection pressures that have encouraged plants to minimize responses to false alarms or insects that do not do substantial damage that would reduce fitness, while prioritizing responses against more damaging foes. The research from this project will provide key insight into how plant defenses evolved to handle multiple threats and has significant potential to inform development of novel management tactics while providing an intriguing topic that will help engage middle- and high-school students and the general public in the novelty and significance of chemical communication between common plant and insect species.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

尽管植物以被动著称，但它们和动物一样，已经进化出了一种非凡的能力来感知和应对环境中的威胁信息。然而，与动物不同的是，植物如何优先考虑不同的信息并评估风险以“做出如何应对的决定”是未知的。本研究计划将使用错误管理理论来评估高大的一枝黄花植物（Solidago altissima）如何从环境中接收的线索评估食草动物的威胁。我们已经知道，高大的一枝黄花可以感知并响应两种不同的空气传播信号，在食草动物到达之前启动防御：（1）来自一种关键的破坏性食草动物物种的吸引配偶的化学物质（信息素）和（2）来自邻近的高大的一枝黄花植物的挥发性化学物质，这些植物正在受到通才昆虫的攻击。将进行温室和田间实验，以确定线索阈值，不同线索触发的基因，以及当线索与所受损害类型匹配或不匹配时作出反应的成本和收益。 最终，由于食草动物的破坏，造成的生殖输出减少将衡量不作出反应的错误的成本。结果将揭示高一枝黄花是否采取了赌注对冲的方法，并分配防御措施，以尽量减少代价高昂的错误，有利于代价较低的错误。通过从这个新的角度探索植物防御，这项研究将大大拓宽我们对植物如何做出决定的理解，并提供关于植物防御草食动物进化的见解。 植物和食草动物之间的相互作用是陆地生态系统的支柱，因此了解植物如何“决定”保护自己具有从作物保护到控制入侵物种的应用。该项目将支持学生和博士后研究人员的培训和指导，以及通过宾夕法尼亚州立大学的既定计划开展公共宣传活动。一枝黄花是已知的少数几种植物之一，可以检测并改变其防御措施，以响应两种挥发性化学线索：一种来自邻近植物，一种来自关键的专业食草动物的交配活动。温室和田间试验将验证错误管理理论，以阐明S基因型防御策略的成本和收益。altissima后暴露的线索是匹配和不匹配的关键草食动物的损害。随后的植物激素和转录组学分析植物组织从这些实验将确定关键机制的基因型暴露于线索和昆虫损害后的防御反应。在各种实验场景下，基因型对食草动物的防御反应的有效性将揭示进化选择压力，这些压力鼓励植物最大限度地减少对错误警报或昆虫的反应，这些错误警报或昆虫不会造成实质性损害，从而降低适应度，同时优先考虑对更具破坏性的敌人的反应。该项目的研究将为植物防御如何演变以应对多种威胁提供关键见解，并具有很大的潜力，可以为开发新的管理策略提供信息，同时提供一个有趣的主题，有助于吸引中、高层次的学校学生和一般公众的新奇和意义的化学通讯之间的共同植物和昆虫物种。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。